Leatherheads is a 2008 American film from Universal Pictures directed by and starring George Clooney.
The film also stars Renée Zellweger and John
Krasinski.
Plot
Clooney plays Dodge Connolly, captain of the struggling football team, the Duluth
Bulldogs. Dodge is determined to save both his team and football in general when the players lose their sponsor and the league is
on the brink of collapse. He convinces a college football star, Carter "the Bullet" Rutherford, to join the Bulldogs, hoping to
capitalize on Carter's fame as a war hero.
In addition to his legendary tales of war heroism, Carter has dashing good looks and unparalleled speed and skill on the
field. As a result of his presence, both the Bulldogs and football in general prosper.
Zellweger provides romantic interest as reporter Lexie Littleton, who becomes the object of the affections of both Carter and
Dodge. Unknown to Carter, Lexie has been assigned to find proof that Carter's war stories are bogus.
Meanwhile, Dodge's attempts to legitimize football start to backfire, as rules are formalized, taking away much of the
improvisational antics that made the game fun for many of its players.
Real-life basis
The character Jimmy "Dodge" Connolly is based on the life of Johnny "Blood" McNally who
played for multiple NFL teams from 1925 to 1938. From 1926-1927 he played for
the Duluth Eskimos and later won four World Championships with the Green Bay Packers. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall
of Fame. The film, in fact, is loosely based on the Duluth Eskimos of the 1920s and how they essentially saved the NFL.
However, in the film, the team uses the name Duluth Bulldogs.
In an interview on The Late Show with David Letterman, Clooney
mentioned the plot is loosely based on George Halas's signing of University of Illinois football star Harold "Red" Grange.
Grange was signed to a contract with the Chicago Bears in 1925, the day after his final
game at Illinois.
Cast
Production
Leatherheads began filming on February 12, 2007.[1] Filming locations mainly included
locations in and around upstate South Carolina and western North Carolina around Statesville.[2]
Filming wrapped in mid-May 2007. After initially being set for release in December 2007, the studio moved the release date to
April 4, 2008. On March 24, George Clooney and Renée Zellweger premiered the movie in
Maysville, Kentucky, birthplace of Clooney's aunt, Rosemary Clooney.
The setting of most of the film is Duluth, Minnesota, but was filmed in
the Carolinas. In late March 2008, Clooney and Zellweger visited Duluth to promote the
film.[3]
The piano player bent over the tack piano with eyes glued to music really didn't need to conscentrate so. He is the author of
the original music in this movie, and sings the theme to tv's Monk, Randy Newman. He's the nephew of famous film composer David
Newman and grand nephew of David father, the prolific movie composer Alfred Newwman.
Critical reception
The film received mixed reviews from critics. As of April 5, 2008, the review aggregator
Rotten Tomatoes reported that 54% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on
108 reviews.[4] Metacritic
reported the film had an average score of 57 out of 100, based on 32 reviews.[5]
Box office performance
In its opening weekend, the film grossed $12.6 million in 2,769 theaters in the United
States and Canada, ranking #3 at the box office behind Nim's
Island[6], below the expectations of Universal Studios.[7] Viewers
in their 30s and 40s were the main audience for the film.[7]
Writing credit
In 2007, a Writers' Guild of America arbitration vote decided not to award
Clooney a screen credit for the film, preferring to credit only the original writers, Duncan Brantley and Rick Reiley. Clooney
said that he did not want to exclude Brantley and Reiley, and agreed that they deserved the first position credit for their work,
but felt that his "major overhaul" of the 17-year-old script to turn it into a screwball
comedy left only two of the original scenes intact. In response to the WGA's actions, Clooney opted not to contest the
decision and instead resigned his full WGA status to go "financial core" within the
guild, meaning that while still technically a member, he only has limited rights. Co-producer Grant Heslov stated that he thought the guild "made the wrong decision", saying, "This script that Duncan
and Rick wrote sat languid until after we finished Good Night, and Good
Luck. [...] George liked Leatherheads but said it never felt quite right. He took it to Italy with him, and I
remember when he called to say he thought he'd solved it. One thing that you clearly see, if you read the original, the
subsequent drafts and then his draft, is that he wrote the majority of the film [...] We both thought Duncan and Rick would get
first position credit, which they deserved. But this wasn't right."[8]
Trivia
The motorcycle that Clooney and Zellweger ride in Leatherheads is not a vintage V-twin motorcycle. It is one of three
custom-built 36-volt electric-powered Indian replicas. The movie motorcycles were designed after a vintage 1918 Indian and
fabricated in El Segundo, CA at Customs By Eddie Paul. Eddie Paul and shop manager Brian Hatano fabricated the frame, sidecar,
mock engine (that conceals a high-tech DC motor inside)and then "age painted" everything to create the authentic look. Customs By
Eddie Paul is known for building many Hollywood film and TV vehicles.
The "fight" song played in the final game is the fight song for Yale University,
called "Boola Boola;" the same tune is used by the University of Oklahoma, but
titled "Boomer Sooner".
At one point the announcer refers to a "Hail Mary" pass. The term Hail Mary, as applied to a
football game, dates only back to the famous Hail Mary play in 1975.
The actor who portrayed a man attempting to commit suicide also portrayed the man's mother.
The steam train scenes were filmed at the Tennessee Valley Railroad
Museum in Chattanooga, TN.
A modern freight train can be seen in the background during the scoreboard close up scenes in the final game of the movie.
References
External links
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